Song of Solomon 1 (Listen)
1:1 The Song of Songs, which is Solomon’s.
2 Let him kiss me with the kisses of his mouth!
For your love is better than wine;
3 your anointing oils are fragrant;
your name is oil poured out;
therefore virgins love you.
4 Draw me after you; let us run.
The king has brought me into his chambers.
We will exult and rejoice in you;
we will extol your love more than wine;
rightly do they love you.
5 I am very dark, but lovely,
O daughters of Jerusalem,
like the tents of Kedar,
like the curtains of Solomon.
6 Do not gaze at me because I am dark,
because the sun has looked upon me.
My mother’s sons were angry with me;
they made me keeper of the vineyards,
but my own vineyard I have not kept!
7 Tell me, you whom my soul loves,
where you pasture your flock,
where you make it lie down at noon;
for why should I be like one who veils herself
beside the flocks of your companions?
8 If you do not know,
O most beautiful among women,
follow in the tracks of the flock,
and pasture your young goats
beside the shepherds’ tents.
9 I compare you, my love,
to a mare among Pharaoh’s chariots.
10 Your cheeks are lovely with ornaments,
your neck with strings of jewels.
11 We will make for you ornaments of gold,
studded with silver.
12 While the king was on his couch,
my nard gave forth its fragrance.
13 My beloved is to me a sachet of myrrh
that lies between my breasts.
14 My beloved is to me a cluster of henna blossoms
in the vineyards of Engedi.
15 Behold, you are beautiful, my love;
behold, you are beautiful;
your eyes are doves.
16 Behold, you are beautiful, my beloved, truly delightful.
Our couch is green;
17 the beams of our house are cedar;
our rafters are pine.
Devotional:
The Song of Songs, which is Solomon’s. Oh, that he would kiss me with the kisses of his mouth! For your caresses are more delightful than wine. (Song of Songs 1:1-2)
Whitney’s Houston rendition of “I Will Always Love You” is one of the most popular love songs of all time, spending 14 weeks as the #1 song on the charts in 1992. While potentially the most popular, it is not the first, nor the most important, love song out there. The title of this book of the Bible – Song of Songs – describes it as being the best of all songs, and when you read its contents you see it is an amazing love song. It’s about the love of a man and a woman, designed by God, affirming the commitment and attraction to one another. Some may be uncomfortable with the description of intimacy in the book, but it displays that humanity was designed for intimacy, with the marriage union a picture of our intimacy with God.
Pray It: Father, thank you for the picture of your love for us that is found in the relationship between a husband and wife. Strengthen the marriages in our church community so that they would more and more reflect this reality and bring you glory and praise. Amen.
Share it: Who can you share a verse or thought from this passage with today?